Erie Marathon At Presque Isle Reviews

4.9 Stars from
9 Runners

Great small marathon

By WS about 2017

Review

Well organized 2 loop flat course. Aid stations every mile.

Race Tips

Great course to hold a steady pace from beginning to end.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

The Comfort Inn at Presque Isle was convenient to the race location.

5 /
5 Stars

Easy logistics, great staff, fast course - Erie Marathon 17

By JWC about 2017

Review

First time for me to run this marathon, I would definitely recommend it to others. I thought all of the logistics for this marathon were well thought out and executed. It was a little intimidating at first at check in b/c it seems like EVERYONE is wearing a Boston jacket.

PROS: Flat course. Mild temperatures. Shaded course. Excellent course support with water stops and porta-johns every mile. Scenery was interesting and enjoyable. Music at the water stops was fun. The fact that the water stop crews are competing against each other makes it fun. Contrary to earlier years reviews, there were pacers this year.

CONS: Maybe a pro from your pov but it is kind of a serious race with large majority of runners trying to BQ. Overall, I give the course high marks but some will not like double loop. The courses one true con would be leading up and including the turnaround right before miles 13 and 26--felt like you were running through traffic and then having to do a 180 turn to come back to start/finish area.

Race Tips

Logistics were very easy for this race. Parking this year was about .7 miles from start and we rode the shuttles down to the start area. Most recommended hotels are nice and clustered around 9 miles from parking. No traffic issues getting to parking in about 18 minutes and immediately boarded shuttle to start. Bag drop and plenty of porta johns immediately adjacent to start corals. Nice finishing snacks with subway sandwich pack, chips, cookies, bananas, bagels, chocolate milk and plenty of water bottles.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

2017

5 /
5 Stars

Mixed Reviews on this Race!

By JY about 2017

Review

Things I liked: LOVED the size of this race and the first loop was absolutely beautiful (by the second loop it kind of all looks the same). Loved that there as a fun water stop every mile (the volunteers and water stops were AWESOME)- gave you something to look forward to. I happened to get lucky and had great weather but I have heard the weather is usually very good for this race each year.

What I didn't like: We had 1.5 miles each loop of swarms of newly hatched mayflies that were EVERYWHERE so for 3 miles of the race, you were literally swatting swarms of bugs that you could not avoid. Nothing that anyone could control, no biggie. The sand made it slippery around a couple water stops. I was fortunate enough to have BQ'd before this race so this was simply a training run for me (though I did clock a PR) but my biggest downside to this race was the feeling before and during the race...it felt...heavy. Not as fun and relaxed as other races and I'm sure that was largely because many people were there specifically to BQ. Finally, the GU Brew was terrible. I am used to Gatorade so maybe it's supposed to taste that watered down but it was not good at all. The fun volunteers handing it out made it worth tolerating though!

Race Tips

If you want to BQ and actually run Boston, you would have to pace ahead of your group as they were only about a minute under BQ time standards, which would likely not be aggressive enough to get a person to run Boston.

This race feels very much like a long training run (which I LOVED) so just know going in that it isn't huge with spectators or noise. It's just you, running alongside trees and water with newly found friends.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Book early and request late checkout as soon as you book as most hotels were kicking runners out at typical checkout time, which wasn't enough time to go back for a quick shower.

YOU CAN PARK ON THE PENINSULA! Many people parked outside of the park and had to walk a ways UPHILL back to their car after the race. Yikes after running a marathon!

4 /
5 Stars

By Brian about 2016

Review

Pancake flat, great fan and hydration support, and a perfect 26.2 for a Last minute BQ

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Make sure to plan for Lake Erie PA wine country and Niagara Falls after the race.

5 /
5 Stars

By AJM about 2016

Review

Great small town marathon. Lot's of participants, flat, easy qualifier.

Race Tips

Just try your best

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Very easy to understand race. You run around the island twice.

5 /
5 Stars

By CDW about 2016

Review

Lots of water stops and a very well organized race. Great small town marathon and perfect BQ course.